


12 Days of Carmilla 2015

by BatWingsandBlackCats



Category: Carmilla (Web Series)
Genre: 12 Days of Carmilla, Christmas, F/F, Fluff, Hollstein - Freeform, SO MUCH FLUFF, just a smidge of angst, nothing major
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-12-14
Updated: 2015-12-24
Packaged: 2018-05-06 15:47:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 12
Words: 13,949
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5422826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BatWingsandBlackCats/pseuds/BatWingsandBlackCats
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>my pieces for the 12 days of Carmilla Christmas challenge</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Christmas Shopping

**Author's Note:**

> hey everyone! I hope you like these pieces I've done for the 12 Days of Carmilla challenge--as the days go on I'll add tags because I'm not sure who's going to show up. (And one of the prompts might become a Harry Potter AU...)
> 
> Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy! Comments are always greatly appreciated, and I hope everyone's having a wonderful holiday season!
> 
> Also just a sidenote for all of these pieces--I really like the headcanon that Carmilla was raised Jewish, but then stopped practicing when she was turned, but for the sake of the prompts and the fact that I have absolutely no authority on Jewish traditions or anything Hanukkah related (hell I don't even know much about Christian traditions because I wasn't raised religious in the slightest) I'm just going with the idea that Carmilla celebrated Christmas before she was turned.

LaFontaine walked into room 307 one evening late in December, and was greeted with the sight of Carmilla sitting on her bed against the wall, scowling at her phone. They raised an eyebrow when the vampire seemingly didn’t notice their presence. 

What’s got your fangs in a twist?” LaF asked, crossing their arms. 

“Christmas shopping,” Carmilla grunted, not looking up. 

“For who?” They asked, raising an eyebrow.

“Laura,”

“Didn’t you already get her something? A Doctor Who guide, right?” LaF asked, confused. “And where is Laura anyways?”

“I took the guide back, it was unnecessary and redundant.” Carmilla said, waving her free hand as she continued to scroll through her phone. “She can recite nearly every episode, she doesn’t need a guide. And Laura is at the caf with Xena and the overgrown puppy celebrating the end of finals.”

“Ah.” LaFontaine nodded. They watched the vampire for a moment. “You maybe want some help?”

Carmilla threw them a glare. “I think I can manage to buy a gift for my girlfriend on my own,” She snapped. 

“Okay, fine,” LaFontaine said, raising there hands in surrender. “I just figured that it’s been, what, three hundred years since you bought someone a present?” They shrugged. “See you around,” 

Carmilla’s eyes flicked up at the door when she heard it click closed behind the ginger. “It’s been a hundred and forty two years,” She sighed to herself, eyes dropping back to her phone. 

\-----

“Hey Carm,” Laura said cheerfully, startling the vampire as she entered the room.

Carmilla looked up, her dim heart pattering a little faster than normal as she shoved her phone under her pillow. She plastered on a smirk and leaned against the wall. “Evening, cupcake,” She smiled, “have a good time?”

Laura nodded, leaning forward over Carmilla’s bed and gently pecking her lips. “Mhmm. And I brought you back some of those peppernut cookies you like,” She said, holding out a little red and green to-go box.

Carmilla’s smirk turned into a grin as she took the box, but instead of opening it, she set it aside and took Laura’s hands, pulling her closer. “ _Phephernüse_ , liebling,” she corrected gently as she let go of Laura’s hands and wrapped her arms around her waist. 

Laura shrugged. “Same thing,” She said, stifling a yawn as she shuffled onto Carmilla’s lap. A low rumble started in the vampire’s chest as the little human did so, and she leaned forward to rub her cheek against Laura’s. “Someone’s in a good mood,” Laura grinned, nuzzling Carmilla back. 

“My wonderful girlfriend just brought me cookies, what’s there not to be happy about?” Camilla murmured, tilting her head up to kiss Laura’s nose as she clasped her hands behind the little human’s back.

Laura chuckled softly and rubbed her nose against Carmilla’s. “What have you done all day?” 

“Ah...I read for a while...did a little christmas shopping,” Carmilla said, running a hand up and down Laura’s back. 

“Sounds nice,” Laura sighed, laying her head on Carmilla’s shoulder. “I hope you like what I got you,”

Carmilla’s stomach flipped uncomfortably. Laura had already found something for her? The vampire bit her lip a little. Of cause she had, her and Perry had gone shopping together the week before, and she’d come home much more giddy than normal. Although that could have been due in part to the half eaten candy cane she’d had clamped between her teeth when she returned. With a sinking feeling, Carmilla realized again that Christmas was only a week away, and she still hadn't figured out what get for the little human who was currently nestled in her arms. 

“Carm?” Laura asked, snapping Carmilla from her train of thought. “You okay?”

“I’m fine, sweetheart,” She smiled softly, kissing Laura’s forehead. “and I’ll love _anything_ you give me, you know that,” 

Laura blushed a little and nodded. “You sure you’re okay though?” She asked again, her voice still a little concerned. “You were far away there for a minute,”

“Positive.” Camilla said. She looked Laura over and frowned a little, her eyebrows knitting together. “You look tired,” She said, and Laura shrugged a little. “Well, we didn’t really get a whole lot of sleep last night,” Carmilla drawled, a smirk pulling at her lips, causing Laura to blush. Camilla chuckled. “Why don’t you take a nap?”

“I think I might,” Laura mumbled, dropping her head back onto Carmilla’s shoulder and wrapping her arms around her.

“Do we have anything for dinner?” Camilla asked, her eyes flicking over to their little excuse for a kitchen. “because as much as you try to deny it, you do need to eat something more substantial than cookies later on when you wake up,”

“No, you finished all the Chokoa Crunch,” Laura answered, her eyes closed.

Camilla huffed a little, and thought for a moment. “Why don’t I go into town and get dinner, and you take a nap, hmm?” She asked, running her fingers through Laura’s hair. Maybe she’d be able to pop into a couple of the shops on the way to the restaurant. 

“Chinese?” Laura asked, sounding as eager as her sleepy voice would allow. 

Camilla laughed softly. “Whatever you’d like,” Carmilla kissed Laura’s head and went to get up, but Laura curled around her tighter. “cupcake, you’re going to have to get off me if you want me to go get us dinner,”

“But you’re warm,” Laura whined.

“I’ll come back with warm food,” Carmilla reasoned, an amused smile still quirking her lips.

“Fine,” Laura groaned, detangling herself from her girlfriend and flopping onto the bed beside her. 

Carmilla pulled her blanket over Laura and kissed her head, and then pulled her boots and coat on in preparation to leave. “I’ll be back in a little bit, okay?”

“Mmkay,” Laura mumbled, “love you,”

Carmilla smiled as she pulled on her beanie after slinging on her backpack. “Love you too, cupcake,”

Carmilla closed the door softly behind her and locked it, and started down the hallway as she pocketed her keys. Outside, she pulled her coat around her a bit tighter and headed towards town. There was a little hole in the wall Chinese restaurant a block away from campus that the two of them had discovered a couple months earlier when they were out and about and hungry after going to the bookstore a few streets away. It was the first place Carmilla had found since her last trip to New York City that made egg rolls like they did in Chinatown. 

As Carmilla left the campus, walking under the creepy yet grand coral-like gates, wreaths and fairy lights and red ribbons came into view, wrapped around each black lamppost, and adorning some of the shop windows and doors. Menorahs and silver stars of David were dotted amongst the Christmas decorations as well, making the streets sparkle. Carmilla would never admit it to anyone besides _maybe_ Laura, but she actually kind of liked the holidays. It was much different than when she was human, and she scoffed at the sheer capitalism of it all, but the decorations were nice and she liked watching Laura get so excited. 

Carmilla was a few shops away from the restaurant when she slowed to a stop in front of a display window. On the other side of the glass, from a delicate bronze chain that was looped around an ornate silver hook, hung a little tiny bronze cupcake. Carmilla stared at it for a moment before quickly turning around and yanking the heavy wooden door open and stepping inside. She made her way to the counter and waited--a bit impatiently--for someone to come over and assist her.

“Hi, can I help you?” The woman behind the counter said cheerfully. 

“How much is the cupcake necklace in the window?” Carmilla asked. 

“Forty euro,” She answered in that same bright voice. “would you like to see it?”

Carmilla nodded, and the woman brought it over to her a moment later. It was weighty, solid brass, and hung nicely. It was incredibly detailed as well, even the little ridges in the sides were present and expertly carved out. 

“I’ll take it,” Carmilla said a moment later. 

“Wonderful,” The woman smiled, “would you like to check out now or are you still looking?”

“Uh,” Carmilla said, glancing behind her. “I’m still looking,”

“Great, it’ll be up here waiting for you,” She said, taking it back from Carmilla and stowing it in a little box.

Carmilla nodded and wandered away from the counter, ignoring the woman’s scoff under her breath about Carmilla’s lack of a thank you. She strode around the shop for a few minutes before coming to a stop in front of a stack of thick, knitted blankets. Carmilla’s eyebrows knitted together as she ran her hand over one of them, admiring how soft they were. Laura _was_ always complaining about how Carmilla was a blanket hog. Carmilla sifted through the stack until she came across a blue, white, and black one--to match her Tardis mug-- and brought it up to the counter.

“All set?” The woman asked.

Carmilla nodded and handed her her card to her. “Oh, wait,” She said quickly as the woman started to wrap her items. “I can wrap them,”

“Are you sure? It’s no extra charge,”

“I’m sure,” Carmilla nodded.

“Alright then, merry Christmas,” She said, handing the bag to Carmilla.

Carmilla smiled a little. “Uh, same to you,”

\-----

Carmilla sat in the little restaurant for twenty minutes as she waited for their food, and spent the entire time studying the necklace. The blanket was stowed away safely in her backpack that sat on the seat beside her, and she almost didn’t hear the person behind the counter call her name because she was too bust holding back a smile at the thought of it hanging around Laura’s neck.

She didn’t fight that smile on the walk home.


	2. Sleigh Rides

“That was the most heinous display of ‘holiday cheer’ I have ever witnessed in my _life._ ” Carmilla said as she stomped into 307 behind Laura. 

“Come on Carm, it was kinda cute,” Laura said, grinning at the vampire as she took her scarf off.

“Cute?” Camilla scoffed, “Cupcake, there is nothing cute, or festive, for that matter, about shirtless Zeta morons wearing red noses and deer antlers, hauling around rickety old sleds around campus and calling them _sleigh rides._ ”

“It was for charity, Carm, the proceeds went to the local orphanage,” Laura said, taking Carmilla’s hat off of her head. The vampire scowled at her, but she softened slightly when Laura kissed her nose. 

“You sure about that?” Carmilla said skeptically, raising an eyebrow as Laura moved on to her scarf. “for all we know the proceeds went to buying beer,”

Laura shook her head. “No, Kirsch organized it, he won’t let that happen,”

Carmilla rolled her eyes. “Whatever the puppy’s intentions were, the entire event was a tacky recreation of how real sleigh rides used to be,” she said indignantly. 

Laura looks up at her, smiling. “You went on sleigh rides?” She asked, “When you were...human?”

Carmilla’s eyes focused on the little human again, and she nodded, her face softening as she smiled a little. “And after. But it was far more enjoyable before,” She unzipped her coat and finished taking it off along with her boots. “My family owned several Pinzgauer horses. They were draft horses, big, with black and white spots and black manes and tails. When the first snow would come, my father would hitch them to the sleigh himself and we’d ride around the grounds in the evening,”

Laura got changed as Carmilla did, swapping jeans and leather pants for plaid sweatpants and boots for fresh socks. She stole glances at Carmilla now and then, smiling at her story. Carmilla didn’t speak often about her human life, so Laura was careful to catch every word when she did. “That sounds amazing,” Laura grinned, making her way towards their tiny little kitchen area to make cocoa for the two of them. 

Camilla hummed from her bed. “It was,” She said quietly, “my mother would bundle us up in cloaks and furs, my two little brothers and I, and we’d all pile into the sleigh,”

Laura came back around to the bed a moment later and handed Carmilla a mug of cocoa with three marshmallows floating on top, and then set her own down on the headboard before settling down beside her. Camilla kissed Laura’s cheek in thanks, and pulled a blanket around the two of them as Laura got her laptop situated on her lap. “Sounds like you had fun with them,” 

Carmilla smiled a little, wistfully. “Yeah, it was nice, sometimes more than others...but nice,”

Lura looked over and bit her lip a little growing a little concerned at the far away look in Carmilla’s eyes. It wasn’t uncommon for her to look like that, but that melancholy was...more, this time. “I’ve always wanted to go on a real sleigh ride,” Laura said, hoping to maybe lift the mood a little.

“You’ve never been on one?” Carmilla asked, her eyes focusing on Laura once more as she wrapped an arm around her.

Laura shook her head a snorted a little. “You know how my dad is. I’ve never even been close to a horse, and my uncle owns a horse farm,” she laughed. “I went there once, and a horse snorted a little too loudly and home we went. Granted, I was like, four, and even smaller than I am now, but still,”

Carmilla chuckled. “Well, we’ll have to go one a sleigh ride one day,” She murmured, kissing the side of Laura’s head.

Laura hummed in agreement and snuggled closer as the movie started.

\-----

Two weeks later, Laura and Carmilla were sitting in front of the fireplace in Laura’s childhood home, both cradling mugs of cocoa, which were, in Carmilla’s case, annoyingly not spiked. Laura, on the other hand, was practically bonding up and down, and trying very hard to fight a grin as she periodically checked her phone for the time.

“Creampuff, I know you’ve had a lot of sugar, but you’r rather hyper, even for you,” Carmilla said with an amused smirk. “what’s got you so excited?”

“You’ll see,” Laura grinned. “you haven’t had any alcohol, right?”

“No, Laura, I haven’t,” She answered for the second time that evening. “what difference does it make if I do though?”

“Because I may have something planned that would be better enjoyed sober?” Carmilla raised an eyebrow, her smirk widening, and Laura blushed deep red. “Not _that_ ,” She said, swatting the vampire’s shoulder. She bit her lip a little and thought a moment. “...maybe after,” She said, trying very hard to stifle a grin. 

“Will you just tell me what it is you have planned?” Carmilla asked, giving Laura her best pleading look. 

“It’s a _surprise_ ,” Laura said, “and besides, it won’t be long until I tell you anyways,”

Carmilla rolled her eyes and heaves an exaggerated sigh, her eyes going back to the flames that danced behind the metal screen in front of them.

“You know, for someone who’s three hundred years old, you have an astonishing lack of patience sometimes,” Laura quipped, smiling nonetheless. 

\-----  
An hour later, Laura shot up from her seat and ran upstairs, yelling a “Carm, come on get dressed!” over her shoulder.

Carmilla watched her go with a confused expression and slowly got to her feet, groaning. She trudged up the stairs after her, not understanding what the rush was. “Laura, what is going on?” She asked, pushing open the door to Laura’s room. She raised an eyebrow when she saw that Laura was sitting on the end of her bed, dressed in a coat and a hat, and pulling on her heavy boots. 

“Still a surprise,” Laura grinned. “dress warm, okay? I’m going to go down to the kitchen,” She picked up her backpack, which was looking little overstuffed, and made her way to the door, pausing for a moment to kiss Carmilla’s cheek.

Carmilla smiled as she watched her head downstairs and shook her head, laughing under her breath. She went over to her rucksack that she’d dumped on the floor at the end of Laura’s bed, and rummaged around in it until she found her sweater ad her leather jacket, and pulled them on after exchanging her sweatpants for a pair of black jeans. she yanked her hat onto her head and shoved her feet into her boots, and then went downstairs, grumbling quietly under her breath.

“Cupcake, we’re not going trecking through the woods are we? Because it’s warm in here and we have cocoa and your bed is here...” She trailed off as she entered the kitchen, and a little smile tugged at her lips as she watched Laura flit around the room, filling a thermos with cocoa. There was a plastic baggie of Christmas cookies sitting on the counter beside her backpack.

“Almost ready,” Laura grinned, glancing back at the vampire. “And no, we’re not going recking through the woods, don’t worry,” She closed the thermos tight and stuffed it into her backpack along with the cookies, next to something that looked like a blanket. “okay, ready,” She smiled. She hefted her backpack onto her back, took her father’s keys off the hook that hung from the side of one of the cabinets, and took Carmilla’s hand, leading her towards the front door.

“See you later dad!” Laura called as she opened the front door, and she laughed a little at his muffled reply of “be safe!”

Carmilla followed along silently towards Laura’s father’s car, and eyebrow quirked in curiosity and amusement. Laura put her backpack on the backseat and climbed up into the driver’s seat as Carmilla climbed into the passenger side. Laura paused at the wheel and sent a quick text before starting the car. She glanced at Carmilla, her smile turning slightly nervous. “Ready?”

Camilla nodded, a little smile playing at the corner of her lips. “Ready,”

Laura pulled out of the driveway and started down the street. They drove mostly in silence, Carmilla watching out the window as the trees flew past in the dark, and stealing glances at an exceedingly nervous looking Laura. It was fifteen minutes later when Laura turned down a heavily wooded dirt road, and Carmilla’s curiosity spiked again.

“Okay, cupcake, _where are we going?_ ” Carmila asked looking at Laura.

“Uh,” Laura said, looking far more nervous than she did a little while ago. “remember how I said my uncle owns a horse farm?” 

As she spoke, they moved past the last of the woods, and the farm came into view before them. Carmilla turned to look out the windshield, and her eyes widened. Every weathered wood fence had white fairy lights wound around them, and a big wreath complete with a big red bow hung on avery few sections of fence. The barn and the stables in the distance were bordered with white lights, and golden light spilled out of the open stable doors. Snow blanketed the hills and was churned up all over from hundreds of hooves, and a huge pine tree by the stables was lit up with large, old fashioned lights. Laura drove them down to the stables, and parked so that the inside of the stables couldn’t be seen from the car. 

“Wait here a minute,” Laura said, equal parts excited and nervous. She opened the door and hopped out of the car, scrambling around to Carmilla’s side after grabbing her backpack from the back seat.

Carmilla undid her seatbelt and waited as she was told until her door opened up, and Laura held out her hand. Carmilla took it and hopped out, and once the car door was closed, Laura stepped behind her. 

“I’m going to cover your eyes, okay?” She asked, knowing that sometimes Carmilla still didn’t like the dark.

Carmilla nodded, unable to hold back a smile at how careful Laura was. Laura reached around the vampire, and covered her eyes with her wool-clad hands, and slowly started walking them forward. 

“What are we going to do? Go stargazing?” Carmilla said with a laugh, still utterly confused about what Laura had in mind. She raised her hands, feeling for Laura’s wrist, and rested her hands there.

“We _could_ , but that’s not exactly what I had in mind.” Laura said. She gently guided Carmilla to a stop a few steps past the doors of the stables, and grinned at the sight before her. “okay,” She said, lowering her hands from Carmilla’s eyes. “you can open them now,”

Carmilla smiled as she felt Laura’s arms wrap around her waist, but the smile soon slid off her face and her mouth hung open as she opened her eyes. 

In front of the two of them stood two Pinzgauer horses, complete with black and white spots just how Carmilla had described them, expertly hitched up to a gorgeous handcrafted sleigh that was painted a deep, rich red and and pinstriped in gold. The steel runners gleamed in the golden light from the lamps that hung from the beams above them, and the seat was padded with brown leather that matched the reigns and straps that made up the horses’ bridles and harnesses. The two horses snorted and stamped their feet lightly in the wood shavings that covered the floor, shaking their heads in excitement. 

Laura bit her lip, growing more and more nervous as Carmilla’s silence stretched on. “I, uh, remembered how you were less than pleased with the Zeta’s idea of sleigh rides, and how you said you used to like going on them with your family,” She said, her chin resting on Carmilla’s shoulder, and her eyebrows knitted together. “then I remembered that my uncle sometimes did sleigh rides though, so I asked him if we could take them out when we visited, and it turns out that he owns a few Pinzgauer horses too and I really hope you know how to drive one of these things because I just realized that I don’t and I don’t know why I didn’t plan for that, and--mph!” Laura’s words were cut off by Carmilla’s lips crashing onto her’s. Carmilla’s arms wound around Laura’s waist to steady her, the vampire’s eagerness having almost knocked the little human off her feet. Laura kissed back just as hard, her arms wrapping around Carmilla’s neck, but the two soon broke apart because Carmilla simply couldn’t contain her grin. 

“This is _incredible_ ,” She whispered against Laura’s lips, and pecked them gently once more. “Thank you,”

“You like it?” Laura beamed, pulling back just enough to look at her.

“I _love_ it. And yes, I do know how to drive one,” She laughed softly, pressing her forehead to Laura’s. “I love you,”

Laura blushed deeply and dropped a kiss on Carmila’s lips. “I love you too,” She hugged the vampire close, sighing happily. “So you want to take this thing for a spin?”

Carmilla stepped back and nodded, taking Laura’s hand and leading her to the sleigh. Laura’s uncle had left a note on the seat, asking them to feed the horses when they got back, and Laura tucked it into her pocket so she wouldn’t forget. As Carmilla settled into her seat, Laura rummaged around in her backpack and took out the cookies and the thermos of cocoa, and then wrestled the blanket out. 

“I know it’s not a fur, but it’s warm,” Laura said, draping it over both of their laps. 

“It’s perfect, sweetheart,” She smiled, and took a a cookie from the bag. She held one out for Laura, who blushed and took it between her teeth, and then took a bite of one herself before turning her attention to the horses and snapping the reins. 

The horses snorted again, throwing their manes back and forth, and then began trotting out of the stables, pulling the sleigh along with them. Laura let out a delighted shriek and gripped onto Carmilla’s arm, who laughed, looking over at her. An awed smile spread over Carmilla’s lips as she watched Laura laugh, her smile blinding in the dim light of the moon and the fairy lights reflecting off the snow. They glided over the hills and down the paths between the fences, and as time wore on, Laura snuggled closer and closer to Carmilla, who soon wrapped an arm around her. She shook her head a little, marveling at the little human in her arms, who was so kind and so carefully thought of everything. 

“I sort of can’t believe you remembered,” Carmilla admitted with a sigh, resting her chin on the top of Laura’s head.

Laura looked up and smiled a little. “You don’t really talk about your real family very often, so I try to really take it in when you do,” She shrugged a little, ducking her head.

“Oh, so you don’t take it in when I talk about anything else?” Carmilla teased, nudging Laura.

Laura rolled her eyes, laughing. “ _You know what I mean_ ,”

“I do,” Carmilla laughed softly, pressing a kiss to Laura’s forehead. “you’re _unbelievable_ , cupcake,”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The list of 'obscure thing I look up for Carmilla fanfic' seems to be growing, and now includes phephernüse cookies, and native Austrian horse breeds. 
> 
> As always, thanks for reading, and happy holidays!


	3. Christmas Drinks

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one came out a bit short, but hopefully you all still like it :) 
> 
> As always, thanks for reading and I hope you're all having a nice holiday season!
> 
> (Also, since I don't drink, I'm pulling a bit from other fics at the end there. hopefully I got it right, haha)

“Carm, you _promised_ ,” Laura said, standing next to their joined beds with her hands on her hips.

Carmilla let out a long suffering sigh, and laid her book on her chest. She looked up at Laura and already felt her strength waning at the sight of Laura’s supposedly threatening glare that was more cute than anything else. “What is this about a pot luck again?”

Laura let out a frustrated huff. “Perry is holding a holiday pot luck in the common room before everyone leaves for break, and we said we’d handle the drinks.” She sat down on the bed, still giving Carmilla that glare. “It’s tonight and we have to go to the market for the ingredients,”

“Sweetheart, it’s snowing out, wouldn’t you rather stay here and, oh, I don’t know...snuggle up in bed...possibly do some _other_ things...” She murmured, her voice soft and gravelly as she gently tugged on Laura’s pinkie.

“Ugh, you are impossible!” Laura said, frustration causing her features to bunch up.

Carmilla chuckled softly and sat up. “Hey, hey, I’ll go with you, okay? I was just messing around,” Laura didn’t look convinced, her bunched up expression staying firmly on her face even as Carmilla leaned forward to kiss her nose. Her expression eventually softened though as Carmilla started dropping kisses down her cheek and to her neck.

“So you promise _again_ that you’ll help me with drinks and not just sit in the corner and make snarky comments?” Laura asked, trying very hard not to be distracted by the very soft pair of lips that were currently sucking at the side of her neck. 

“Mhmm,” Carmilla hummed, wrapping an arm around Laura’s waist. She bit Laura’s neck gently and then sat back, satisfied with the slightly blotchy red spot she’d left behind. “promise,”

Laura rolled her eyes and got up, going to the wardrobe for her coat. “Come on, ladykiller,” She said. “and bring your backpack, Danny had to go into town too so we can’t use her car,” 

She didn’t miss Carmilla’s muttered “Xena’s car smell like gym socks anyways...”

\-----

Later on that night, while Perry was flitting around the kitchen area of the common room, Laura was standing at the counter, pouring the eggnog into a large punch bowl, and Carmilla was standing at the stove, stirring something that smelled rather divine in a very large pot. Laura popped open the container of ground cinnamon and sprinkled some overtop the eggnog, and then carried it over to the table Perry and LaFontaine had set up against the wall. She stacked some red cups beside it and placed a ladle in the bowl, and smiled, satisfied with her work. She turned around, still as curious about what Carmilla was brewing up as she was when she saw her buying oranges at the market. 

A small smile stretched over Carmilla’s lips as she felt Laura’s arms wrap around her waist, and her chin rest on her shoulder. 

“So that’s what the oranges were for,” Laura said, standing on her tiptoes and peering into the pot over Carmilla’s shoulder. 

“It’s Wassail,” Carmilla said, glancing at Laura as she continued to stir the contents of the pot. “Hard cider, brandy, cloves, oranges, cinnamon sticks...picked it up in England in the eighteen fifties,” As she stirred, the orange slices and the cinnamon sticks floated around the pot, pumping into each other occasionally.

“Huh,” Laura nodded, and inhaled deeply. “smells amazing,” Carmilla hummed in agreement. “Sorry I was crabby earlier,” Laura continued quietly, nuzzling Carmilla’s cheek. 

Carmilla laughed softly. “It’s alright, liebling,” She turned her head and captured Laura’s lips in a gentle kiss, which Laura gladly returned, her eyelids falling closed. 

“Not around the food, you two,” Perry said in a brisk voice as she walked past them to get another dish. 

\-----

After dinner, Laura and Carmilla were sitting on the floor against the wall, watching LaFontaine and Kirsch drunkenly act out choice scenes from The Grinch, Laura laughing now and then and Carmilla looking vaguely horrified by their lack of skill. The little party wound down after LaFontaine and Kirsch collapsed, laughing, onto the couch, and soon, it was only their little group left in the room, lounging around on the couches with one of those fireplace recordings playing on laFontaine’s laptop. Carmilla was just barely tipsy even after a fair amount of both generously spiked eggnog and Wassail, and Laura was pleasantly buzzed after a few drinks herself. The little human was still nursing a mug of Wassail, and enjoying the warm feeling inside as she snuggled closer to Carmilla. 

“Tired, cupcake?” Carmilla asked softly, running a hand through Laura’s hair as Laura let out a contented sigh.

“Yeah, but it’s nice in here,” She said quietly, her head resting on Carmilla’s shoulder. 

Carmilla smiled softly, gently nuzzling the top of Laura’s head. “We can stay for a while longer,” She murmured, dropping a kiss to her hair. 

“Mmkay,” Laura sighed, shifting a little to get more comfortable. 

Carmilla looked up from the little human tucked into her side, and looked around the nondescript common room. The walls were white plaster, the furniture beat up--although none of the pieces got up and walked away with one of them on it so far, so that was good--and their little gang of misfits draped over couches and slumped in squishy armchairs, laughing and talking. It was practically alien to how she used to spend Christmas with her birth family, but she liked it. It felt like...home.

No, she corrected herself in her head, _Laura_ was home. But Laura just happened to come with a band of misfits, and Carmilla wouldn’t admit it to anyone, ever, but she might just be okay with that.


	4. Christmas Stories

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize if this one is...wonky. Last night was weird, and so was today, and my head just kinda spit this out. To me it feels kind of scattered, but I really hope it's still okay, and that you guys like it. Let me know what you think?
> 
> Hope everyone's had a nice day! thanks for reading!

“I didn’t think it was possible for you to be any smaller, cupcake,” Carmilla said, leaning over to look at the photo album that sat in Laura’s lap.

“ _Ha ha_ ,” Laura deadpanned, giving the vampire an unimpressed look. “I was _four_ ,”

“And you were _adorable_ ,” Carmilla smiled, her voice somehow teasing yet also genuine.

Laura rolled her eyes. “yeah, yeah...” She said, flipping a page. 

Carmilla’s eyes paused on the page when they fell on the face of a woman who looked strikingly like Laura. Her hair was darker, Laura taking after her father in that department, but they had the same eyes, the same soft, round nose, though Laura’s smile seemed to be a mixture of both her father and the woman in the picture. The woman’s eyes were bright, and golden brown like Laura’s, with subtle crow’s feet adorning each. “Is...is that your mother?” Carmilla asked cautiously, her eyes flicking up from the page to meet Laura’s.

Laura nodded, her thumb tracing over the picture. “Yeah,” She said quietly. “This was our last Christmas with her.” She was quiet for a moment, just studying the picture. Laura’s mother was sitting beside a beautifully decorated Christmas tree, with a younger Laura in her lap, who she seemed to be tickling because Laura’s mouth was open in a gleeful smile, her eyes screwed up shut. Carmilla remained silent, letting Laura take her time. “It was one of our best ones, actually,” Laura eventually continued with a small smile. She glanced up at Carmilla, who offered her a soft smile. “I was eleven. My grandparents came down for Christmas eve and mom and dad cooked dinner. I helped with the cookies.”

“Ah, so you were always a sweet tooth,” Carmilla cut in softly, gently bumping her head against Laura’s.

Laura breathed out a laugh. “Yeah. Dad would make the dough and mom would help me cut the shapes out, and after they were baked, all three of us would frost them and put sprinkles on them. After dinner I think we all hung out in the living room--mom got a fire going, I think, or it could have been dad--and we all opened one present. We did that every year, all opening one present. When my grandparents came we’d open the ones they gave us. Mom and dad were really good at keeping up the charade, so I still believed in Santa at the time, and I remember running up the stairs to bed as fast as I could after my grandparents left and after mom helped me put the cookies out. Well, I remember she let me do it on my own, but she got the milk out of the fridge. I still couldn’t reach the top shelf.” She pointed to another photo, one of herself sitting on a black, white, and silver bike next to the tree. “Apparently dad had originally wanted to get me some movies for Christmas, and, y’know _safe_ things like that, but she talked him into the bike. They agreed on the books,”

Carmilla chuckled, laying a hand on top of Laura’s. “What books?” 

“Um, The Chronicles of Narnia...I already had the latest Harry Potter, but they got the Quiddich Through the Ages and Fantastical Beasts and Where to Find them set, and The Lord of the Rings, with The Hobbit,” Laura rattled off, her face bunching up in an attempt to remember them all. Carmilla smiled and nodded but didn’t say anything, sensing Laura wasn’t done. “I remember the tree looked so _big_ that year...I’m pretty sure it was at least six feet tall.” She sighed, looking down at the picture again, her eyebrows knitting together. “Things are getting fuzzy,” She said quietly, “I can't remember all of it anymore...”

“Hey,” Carmilla said, tucking a strand of hair behind Laura’s ear. Laura looked up, leaning into Carmilla’s hand a little. “I can’t really remember much either, if that means anything.”

“No?” Laura asked, curiosity mixing with the sadness in her eyes.

Carmilla shook her head. “As far as I understand, the turning tampers with your memory. Or it could have possibly been just how my own was done....Maman wasn’t exactly gentle.” Laura squeezed Carmilla’s hand gently and Carmilla smiled ruefully. “And it was a very long time ago...vampire constitution doesn’t seem to enhance memory too much. At least not human memory. It’s easier to remember things after my turning,”

“What do you remember?” Laura asked.

“Bits and pieces,” Carmilla said, “like what I told you about the sleigh rides. I remember vague details about the parties my family threw. I have a strangely vivid memory of chasing my brothers down the halls...they were younger than me,” She smiled a little, her eyes far away. “I don’t remember their voices, or their faces, really. Just certain things about their features. My youngest brother had blue eyes, my father had dark hair,” She shrugged a little and looked back to Laura.

“Do you remember much of Christmas with them?” Laura asked, tracing circles onto the back of Carmilla’s hand with her thumb. She’d shuffled closer so that their bodies were pressed tightly together.

Carmilla thought a for a moment, her eyebrows pulled together in concentration. “Christmas was very different back then,” She said, glancing at Laura. “by comparison, my family wasn’t _too_ religious, but it was much more centered around the church than it is now. Gift giving wasn’t really the focal point, but we still gave gifts. I remember one year I got a few books too. I don’t remember what they were, just that they were bound in red leather. We always had a massive tree...pine, usually, I think. Maybe spruce...”

“Sounds nice,” Laura smiled, gently bumping her head against Carmilla’s.

Carmilla hummed in agreement. “Still, it’s all very fuzzy,”

“Like something seen underwater?” Laura asked, gently nudging Carmilla in the side as she tried to stifle a playful smile. 

Carmilla rolled her eyes. “Yeah, like that,” She looked at Laura with a fond yet exasperated expression.

Laura laughed a little and turned back to the photo album. Her fingers brushed over another photo of her mother, and she sighed a little. “I guess it’s impossible to remember everything,” She said quietly.

“It is,” Carmilla nodded. “But, you won’t forget everything either,”


	5. Ice Skating

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Here's a slightly ridiculous one shot to make up for yesterday's slight angst. Also this is probably extremely dangerous so I wouldn't recommend trying this. 
> 
> Thanks so much for the feedback on yesterday's prompt! I'm really glad you all still liked it :)   
> Thanks for reading everyone!

The lake on the grounds of Silas was, unsurprisingly, for winter in Austria (also for freak Silas weather on top of said brutal cold) frozen solid. Well, maybe not _solid, but frozen a good several feet down. Which nicely contained the adolescent Kracken that apparently resided at the bottom._

_“Hey guys!” Laura called brightly, waving her free hand over her head as her and Carmilla approached the lake. She had a pair of white stakes hanging around her neck, and her right and was interlocked with Carmilla’s who was trailing behind just slightly, and holding a pair of beat up old hokey skates she liberated from one of the gym’s storage rooms._

_“Hey Frosh!” LaFontaine called back from their spot beside Perry._

_LaFontaine, Perry, Danny and Kirsch were scattered among some of the rocks on the shore, all lacing their skates up. The sky was overcast and there were light flurries coming down, creating a soft hush of a sound over the grounds and the lake, and among the trees on campus. Laura didn’t think it could get any more beautiful._

_“Sorry we’re late, _someone_ didn’t want to get out of bed,” She said, looking pointedly at Carmilla, who rolled her eyes._

_“I’m _nocturnal_ ,” Carmilla said, “and you were warm, so forgive me for wanting to stay in bed with you all day,”_

_“Hey look at that, Elvira has feelings,” Danny chuckled as she straightened up from where she was bending over to lace her skates. Carmilla glared at her, but her face softened when she felt Laura kiss her cheek. Danny made a face. “you two are disguising,”_

_“I have to second that,” laFontaine said, looking up._

_“Like you and Betty Crocker are any better,” Carmilla shot back, sitting down beside Laura to put her skates on._

_“Oh hush you three,” Perry scolded. “let’s just have a nice time, hmm?” She got a grumble in response from both Carmilla and Danny, but everyone else enthusiastically agreed._

_Once Laura got her skates on, she sat up and leaned close to Carmilla. “After we can nap all day, okay?” She said, kissing her cheek._

_“I think I can deal with that,” Carmilla said, the corner of her mouth turning up in a smirk._

_Laura grinned and kissed the corner of her mouth, and then stood up, pulling Carmilla with her. She held Carmilla’s hand firmly and then wobbled towards the ice, letting out a panicked squeak when she almost toppled over._

_Carmilla pulled her upright again, and held her tightly around the waist. “Cupcake, do you actually know how to skate?” She asked with an amused smile._

_“Yeah,” Laura said with a breathy laugh. “I think I just hit a pebble. I’ll be fine once I get on the ice,”_

_“Okay,” Carmilla said, not sounding very convinced. She was impressed, however, when Laura took off the second she got on the ice. Carmilla followed suit, but went slower, her eyes glued to her feet._

_Laura circled around once she noticed that Carmilla wasn’t right behind her, and skidded to a stop beside her girlfriend. “Maybe I should be asking you if _you_ know how to skate,” Laura said with a grin, taking Carmilla’s hand. _

_“I do,” Carmilla huffed, “it’s just been a while,”_

_“How long is a while?” Laura asked, raising an eyebrow._

_“Thirty years,” Carmilla grumbled._

_Further down the lake, Danny was tearing after LaFontaine, who had unsuccessfully tried to nail Danny in the head with a snowball. Perry just sighed and continued at a leisurely pace as the other two redheads flew past her, but Danny’s yelling caught the attention of a certain vampire._

_“What the...?” She said with an amused grin, watching their chase unfold. She’d since gotten her footing on the ice and was moving as easily as the rest of them. “Oh...” She chuckled, “oh this is _way_ too good to pass up,” She grinned. She skated off towards the shore again, and grabbed a handful of snow, packing it into a ball as she glided back over towards Laura._

_“Carm, what are you--” Laura started, but she wasn’t able to finish before Carmilla launched the snowball at Danny, hitting her square in the back._

_Danny whirled around to see Carmilla standing next to a stunned Laura, grinning widely and waving daintily._

_“Oh no.” Laura said, eyes wide as Danny came charging towards them._

_“Come on, cupcake,” Carmilla grinned, grabbing Laura’s hand and taking off.  
Laura shrieked, startled by the sudden jerk forward, and tried desperately to keep up with Carmilla and stay out of the way of an infuriated Danny. _

_Nobody was quite sure how it had escalated so much so fast, but soon, snowballs were flying left and right, skidding across the ice and exploding upon contact with shoulders and backs and chests, and in Kirsch’s case, his face. Which promptly landed him on his ass. LaFontaine had white splotches all over their sweatshirt and their hat was ninety percent snow at this point, as was Kirsch’s. Danny had lost her hat completely and was covered in snow, her jeans full of wet patches from wiping out once or twice and even Perry was dusted with snow. Laura, who somehow had a sizable chunk of snow down the back of her coat as well as all over her, slowed to a stop, panting and exhausted next to an untouched Carmilla._

_“Vampire speed is _so_ not fair,” Laura huffed, giving Carmilla and unimpressed look. _

_Carmilla chuckled and wrapped an arm around around Laura’s waist. “You love it,” She smirked._

_“While that might be true, I think at the moment, I love this--” She brought her hand out from around her back and smacked Carmilla in the face with a snowball. “--more,” She said with a triumphant grin._

_Carmilla stood there, stunned for a moment, spluttering and wiping her face with gloved hands. She stared at Laura in silence for a moment, before her dumbfounded expression morphed into a mischievous one. “Oh, you’re going to pay for that one,” she said with a glint in her eye._


	6. Murder

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys, thank you so much for all of the feedback so far, it's been a joy to read all your comments :) This one is pretty short, but the one I have planned for tomorrow looks like it's going to be pretty sizable, and might be a slight AU.
> 
> Thanks so much for reading!! Hope everyone's having a nice day! :)

It was late, darkness cloaking Silas University one night late in December. The halls of Crowley Hall were quiet, students holed up in their dorm rooms, not wanting to go out in the snow they could hear colliding with their windowpanes, causing a delicate hissing sound. Some students had already left for the holidays, making the halls even quieter. Eerily so. 

Until a bloodcurdling scream sounded from inside room 307.

Followed by...laughter?

“Laura, it’s okay,” Carmilla laughed softly, “it’s fake, remember? It’s just a movie,”

Laura peeked out from behind Carmilla’s shoulder. “I know,” She said in a small voice. She scooted closer to Carmilla and ducked under her arm, nestling herself against Carmilla’s chest. 

“Do you want to shut it off?” Carmilla asked, running her fingers through Laura’s hair. “We can put on some sappy Christmas movie instead,”

“No, no,” Laura said, relaxing a little at the feeling of Carmilla’s fingers running through her hair. “you wanted to watch it, so we’ll watch it. Who doesn’t love a trashy Christmas themed horror flick?”

“You, apparently,” Carmilla said with an amused smile. 

Laura huffed quietly, somehow finding a way to snuggle closer to Carmilla as another character on the screen got a machete to the gut. “I’m just not big on slashers...” She grumbled.

“Sweetheart, you’re _dating_ a slasher,” Carmilla pointed out, stroking Laura’s cheek with her thumb. She leaned forward a little to catch a glimpse of Laura’s face. 

Laura rolled her eyes. “Yes, okay, but murderous tendencies aside, you’r extremely loving when you want to be. And you’re sweet, and kind, and you care...and you make me feel safe. You’re not just some mindless murder-happy machine,” She said, ending in a mumble.

Carmilla leaned back against the pillows again, her eyebrows pulled together as she felt her cheeks grow warm. She knew Laura loved her...she’d known for a while now, but to hear that...it floored her, and she wasn’t entirely sure why. Maybe because some part of her worried constantly that Laura would see just a little too much of her nature and run for the hills, like El had. She’d see too much and think her only a monster like everyone else, think her inhuman and an abomination. Carmilla was a monster, she’d come to terms with that a long time ago, but for so long she’d yearned for someone to see her as a woman too, with a heart, however weakly it beat, and not just a monster. Not just her fangs. 

Laura looked up when Carmilla didn’t answer, worry clear in her honey brown eyes. “Carm?”

Carmilla shook herself from her train of though and blinked a few times. “Sorry, um, just, uh, just got lost in thought,”

“You okay?” Lara asked, still concerned. Caemilla’s eyes looked glassy, like she was holding in tears. Laura’s eyebrows bunched together as she cupped Carmilla’s cheek gently, moving her thumb back and forth in gentle strokes. “Did I say something wrong...?”

“No,” Carmilla said quickly, “Gods, no.” She shook her head a little, and sighed. “the exact opposite, really,” She placed her hand on top of Laura’s, swiping her thumb back and forth. 

“What do you mean?” Laura asked, completely confused. 

“What you said, um,” Carmilla swallowed thickly, but pushed on. “you acknowledge my...uglier bits, but you still like me...you still see me as more than that,” She whispered. “more than my monstrous half,”

Laura’s face softened. “Of course I do,” She said, “I love you. All of you. And yes, while some of your more gruesome habits are a _little_ jarring sometimes, I know it’s still you underneath,” She said with a little shrug.

Carmilla reached around Laura and shut the laptop, cutting off the screaming that was sounding from the speakers. She leaned her head on Laura’s shoulder and breathed out a long sigh, her arms winding around Laura’s waist. “I love you too,” Carmilla murmured. She cracked an amused smile and shook her head a little. “You’re something else, Laura Hollis...”


	7. Mistletoe

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, this one is much longer than my last little one shot :) Also this is a slight AU, where Laura and Carmilla didn't kiss when Carmilla returned from the pit. 
> 
> thank you guys so much for reading, and for all the kind comments! hope you enjoy!

It had been five days since Carmilla came back from the dead, and LaFontaine had no idea why neither of them had made a move yet. The pining was practically palpable. It hung in the air, surrounded every too-long glance between the two, whether both parties were aware of said glance or not. They tiptoed around each other, both jumping and jerking back when their hands or their legs brushed together for a split second.

Frankly, it was making LaFontaine sick.

So when they saw little bundles of a certain white berry at the market while out with Perry, they got an idea.

Call it an experiment of sorts. 

That afternoon, they returned to Silas with no less than a dozen little bundles of mistletoe, and a roll of tape. They briefly wondered if it would bother Carmilla, mistletoe being poisonous to cats, but figured the vampire would have enough common sense to not eat the stuff. They made their way down the third floor of Crowley Hall towards 307, and slowly opened the door, peering inside. Perry had mentioned that Laura and Carmilla were going down to the caf with her and Kirsch, but they wanted to make sure. Getting caught would ruin the experiment. After a cursory glance around the room and a peek into the bathroom--Laura was right, Carmilla was _awful_ where hygiene was concerned--they set to work. After ripping off several pieces of tape, they divided the little bundles of mistletoe and and taped one onto the door frame, one over Carmilla’s bed, and one over Laura’s and the last one on the bathroom doorframe. They still had plenty leftover, but that would be saved for...a later date. 

LaFontaine quietly slipped out of the room after gathering their things, and headed back down to their’s and Perry’s room, grinning triumphantly.

\-----

Carmilla and Laura walked down the hall towards 307 a couple hours later, both carrying a takeout container or two in a plastic bag, and in Carmilla’s case, grumbling about the cold. Contrary to popular belief, vampires were _not_ immune to the cold. She was bundled up in a thick red scarf that was tucked into her leather jacket and hid most of her face, and she hadn’t bothered to take it, or her hat off yet even though they’d been inside for a good five minutes.

“Remind me again why you dragged me out of bed at eleven in the morning to sit in crowded cafeteria for three hours?” Carmilla said, her voice muffled by her scarf as she sent a half hearted glare towards Laura.

“Because Kirsch and Perry waned to see us, and we ran out of food,” Laura said, “we both need to eat, you know,”

“Actually, I don’t,” Carmilla shrugged.

“Wait a minute, then why did you steal _my_ food _all semester_?!” Laura asked, her face bunching up.

“I like chocolate, and you, are essentially a chocolate bank,” Carmilla smirked, “and chocolate tastes better when it’s stolen,” she shrugged, and stepped in front of Laura to open the door to their room. 

Laura stood there, gaping for a minute, before her face screwed up into that little bunched up face Carmilla found so amusing. She looked down for a moment as she unzipped her coat and started forward, and promptly rammed into Carmilla’s back. Carmilla didn’t move much however, and Laura bounced back, rather stunned.

“What?” Laura asked, “did the gnomes invade again--”

“Did you decorate?” Carmilla asked, cutting her off. 

“No more than I did the other day. You were there.” Laura shrugged. “Why?”

“Uh, there’s mistletoe all over,” Carmilla said, still looking at the little bundle hanging from the doorframe.

Laura blushed red, her eyes traveling put where Camilla was staring. Her blush grew even deeper when she noticed how close she was standing beside Carmilla. In the doorway. Under mistletoe. “That wasn’t me,” She said quickly, slipping past Carmilla and making her way quickly to the fridge to put her food away. 

“What, is kissing me so undesirable, cupcake?” Carmilla smirked, though it didn’t have the same edge. She walked over to her bed and took her coat off, dropping her takeout bag on her bed.

“No!” Laura said, shooting up from her spot behind the fridge. “No, I-I just wanted to put my leftovers away before they went bad is all.” She quickly took off her coat and and hat. “Uh, I’m going to take a shower, do you need to use it?”

Carmilla shook her head. “No, go ahead,” She sighed, dropping onto her bed and opening one of the boxes. 

Laura nodded once and scrambled into the bathroom, grabbing the towel from her chair as she went. As she undressed, she grumbled to herself, berating herself for her awkwardness. Of course she wanted to kiss her. God, she wanted to kiss her so badly. She’d spent nearly a week thinking Carmilla was dead, and then Danny barged into their room one afternoon, carrying a broken and bloodied Carmilla, and placed her on Laura’s bed. Laura had basically shoved everyone out of the room, though she sent LaFontaine off for first aid supplies, and she had begged and pleaded and finally coaxed Carmilla into drinking some blood as she waited. LaFontaine had helped her patch Carmilla up, and then she’d waited again, desperately hoping Carmilla would wake up.

And she did. Carmilla woke up and Laura had tackled her with a hug, the relief swelling in her chest absolutely unbelievable. Laura had quickly apologized though, having hit several bruised patches when she’d hugged Carmilla. They’d talked that night, quietly, and in the dark but with Larua’s owl lamp on because Carmilla couldn’t stand the dark after the dark of the pit. They’d laid next to each other, their hands and legs brushing together, but they hadn’t gone further than that. laura hadn’t been able to work up the guts to kiss her. Though, in addition to her nerves, Carmilla had had a nasty cut on her lip that she was afraid to hurt should she kiss her. It had since healed though, vampire healing and all, like much of Carmilla’s injuries. She was only left with some of the deep bruising on her sides and a slight limp. She still hadn't worked up the guts to kiss her though.

Carmilla had wanted to kiss Laura so badly when she’d woken up. Laura was the first thing she saw, hovering over her with worried and red rimed eyes and for a moment Carmilla was terrified the she’d actually, truly died because how could she deserve to see Laura’s face again? She hadn’t, though. She was alive and Laura was alive and she’d wanted so badly just to sit up and kiss her but the minute she moved, a shooting pain ran down her back and all the way down her legs. Laura had gently shushed her, pulling a blanket around her and offering her more blood which Carmilla gladly took. By the morning, Carmilla was able to sit up and take a few steps, and two days later, she was mostly healed. She still hadn’t made a move though. Laura was nervous around her, Carmilla could tell. She was jumpy and Carmilla would catch Laura staring at her, and then Laura’s cheeks would pink and she’d turned away. 

Carmilla hadn’t been able to hold back a grin, which she hid behind a book, on the third day as she watched Laura hum Christmas carols and decorate their room for Christmas, which was creeping up fast. Laura hadn’t hung any mistletoe though, and she turned about as red as the tomatoes on her sandwich from lunch when she saw the little bundles handing all over the room. 

Maybe there was hope yet. 

\------

It went on like that for days.

Whenever Laura and Carmilla were supposed to be somewhere at the same time, mistletoe would appear. Hanging in doorways, on walls, tucked into books that were puled out of bookshelves _just_ enough to hang over their heads.

Laura turned beet red every time, and every time, Carmilla’s stomach fluttered, her heart pattering faster than normal. She could hear Laura’s heart pick up sped in addition to her cheeks and neck growing red, and it was getting harder and harder to hide a smile at the sight. 

Laura and Carmilla were walking back to their dorm yet again from a trip to the campus coffee shop with the gang Friday night, when the two stopped in front of their door, both looking at the little bundle of mistletoe hanging from the doorframe. 

“oh for the love of--” Laura huffed, and then grabbed the lapels of of Carmilla’s jacket, yanked her forward, and crashed their lips together.

Carmilla was almost certain her heart had stopped for a second time in her life, and a muffled “Mmph!” escaped her lips as they crashed against Laura’s. Their teeth knocked together for a split second, but Carmilla’s eyes then fluttered shut as she felt Laura gently suck her lower lit into her mouth. Carmilla gently nipped Laura’s upper lip as her arms would around Laura’s waist, pulling her closer until they were pressed together. Laura wigged her arms out from between them and moved them up, her cold hands tenderly cradling Carmilla’s face. 

“YES!”

Both Carmilla and Laura’s hearts, which had been being out of their chests to begin with, spiked again at the sudden interruption. They turned, still wrapped up in one another, to find LaFontaine with their hands in the air and a triumphant grin on their face. 

“It worked!” LaFontaine said victoriously, extremely pleased with themselves. 

Laura and Carmilla looked at each other, and then their eyes traveled back up to the mistletoe hanging from their door. They tuned to LaFontaine.

“It was _you_?!”


	8. Christmas Treats

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, sorry about the lack of an update last night, I ran a lot of errands yesterday with my mom and was totally wiped out when I got home. Day nine will also be up in a little while, so two updates in one day!
> 
> This is also the HPAU I've been talking about :) Hope you guys enjoy and thanks for reading!

“Carm,”

“Mmm,”

“ _Carm_ ,”

A disgruntled groan sounded from the lump under the blue and grey patchwork quilt. “ _What_?”

“Come on Carm, it’s time to get up,” Laura urged, gently shaking said lump. “It’s Christmas!”

Carmilla groaned again and rolled onto her back, peering blearily up at Laura. “How did you get in here?” She asked, though her question as more of a sleep-slurred mess rather than coherent words. 

“Answered the riddle,” Laura shrugged. “ it really wasn’t that hard. But that’s not the point,” She said, yanking the covers off of Carmilla. Carmilla’s persistently moody black cat hissed at Laura and hopped off the bed, slinking off some far off corner of the girls’ dormitory. 

Carmilla groaned loudly in protest. “What are you on about?” She sighed, giving in and sitting up. 

“It’s Christmas!” Laura said again, seemingly losing a little patience. “and I want to show you something,”

“Can this something wait another four hours?” Carmilla asked. She reached forward and tugged on the hem of Laura’s jumper, trying to get her to come closer. “Why don’t you just come sleep for a few more hours?”

“Because what I want to show you won’t _be_ there in a few hours,” Laura said, covering Carmilla’s hands with her own.

Carmilla sighed a looked up at Laura, a smile quirking the corner of her mouth. “ _Okay_ ,” She said with an exaggerated huff, dragging herself to her feet.

Laura squealed in excitement and pecked Carmilla’s lips gently, hugging her briefly before holding out a pair of pants and Carmilla’s boots.

“You got my clothes out?” Carmilla asked, amused by Laura’s excitement. She took them from Laura and slowly got dressed, stretching as she did so.

“Yeah. I knew it’d take forever to get you out of bed,” Laura said with a shrug.

Once Carmilla was sufficiently dressed, bundled up in a black jumper, a pair of jeans and her boots--the corridors were drafty even with the torches that lined the walls--Laura took her hand and dragged her out of Ravenclaw tower and down corridor after corridor. She kept her eyes peeled for Mrs. Norris, seeing as students weren’t _really_ meant to be out of their dormitories this early in the morning, even though it was the winter holidays and collectively there were only about two dozen students left in the castle. Laura led Carmilla down towards the basement, tiptoeing past sleeping portraits, their hands still interlocked, and the tips of both of their wands alight. 

“Are we going to your dormitory?” Carmilla asked. “I though I wasn’t allowed to go in there because you didn't want to break some thousand-year record about the Hufflepuff common room not being seen by anyone outside of Hufflepuff or something,”

“No that still stands,” Laura said, glancing back at her girlfriend. “our entrance is the only entrance that retaliates when someone gets the pattern wrong so I’m assuming there’s a reason why Helga Hufflepuff didn’t want outside houses in our dormitory,” 

“I’m well aware,” Carmilla grumbled. The year before, Carmilla had attempted to get in after a fight between her and Laura. Laura finding Carmilla standing in the hallway, drenched in vinegar had made the Hufflepuff laugh hard enough that she forgot about the stupid reason why they were fighting, and helped Carmilla dry herself off enough so that she could get back to the Ravenclaw dormitory to shower without dripping too badly. 

“If you really want to know what it looks like inside, think Hobbiton,” Laura said. She led Carmilla down the hall where the Hufflepuff Common room was located, but instead of going all the way down towards the barrels, She stopped in front of a massive painting, that stood at least six feet tall, of a bowl of fruit.

Carmilla raised an eyebrow at the painting. “That’s a lovely bowl of fruit, cupcake.” She deadpanned. “Please tell me that’s not what you got me up at five in the morning for,”

“No,” Laura laughed. She reached forward and ticked the pear on the painting, which giggled. Laura pulled Carmilla back as the painting swung forward, revealing a doorway. Through the doorway wafted the scent of baking cookies and all manner of sweet and savory dishes that would be present at breakfast in a few hours time. Laura led Carmilla through the doorway and carefully wound around dozens of house elves who were frantically flitting about, cooking and cleaning and wiping down the tables in preparation for breakfast. 

“Morning, Willy!” Laura called cheerfully, waving to one of the elves who was standing by the ovens.

“ _Willy_?” Carmilla asked with a snicker, and promptly received an elbow to the gut from Laura. 

“Miss Hollis!” He called back excitedly, bounding over to the two witches. Laura dropped to her knees and let out an “Oof!” as the house elf landed in her arms, Willy having all but launched himself at her. “What are you doing down here so early? And who is this?”

“This is my girlfriend, Carmilla,” Laura grinned, looking up at the Ravenclaw with bright eyes. “and I came to bring you another book,”

Willy hopped off of Laura’s lap and grabbed Carmilla’s hand, bowing low. “Splendid, splendid to meet you,” He said in their creaky voice. 

“Uh, you too,” Carmilla said, looking a somewhat amusing combination of both taken aback and uncomfortable. She’d never liked the enslavement of house elves, especially considering the way her mother treated them. She never liked how they bowed to her, or any other witch or wizard, but she knew that Hogwarts treated their resident house elves well, so it didn’t bother her _too_ much at school.

Willy turned back to Laura with a smile. “What is this about a book?” He asked excitedly, clasping their hands together. 

“Oh! Right!” Laura said, reaching into the little bag she had slung over her shoulder, and pulling out a beat up old paperback. “Here,” She grinned. It was an old copy of Sherlock Holmes she’d asked her dad to send her from her collection at home. 

“Oh, this is splendid, thank you Miss Hollis,” Willy said gleefully. He tucked the book under their arm. “Wait here,” Willy ran off towards one of the pantries, and skidded around the corner towards it.

Laura straightened up and brushed herself off, waving to a few other house elves as they waited. Carmilla looked around, just noticing how big the place was. Well, of course it would have to be big. She had a million questions buzzing around her head, but figured it’d be better to ask after they left the kitchens when she saw Willy hurrying back to them with a cloth wrapped bundle. 

“Please take this Miss Hollis, and have a lovely Christmas,” He said holding the bundle up to Laura, who blushed a little and took it. 

“You too, Willy, thank you,” She smiled, “and let me know when you’re done with the book,”

Willy nodded vigorously. “I will, Miss Hollis. and a very merry Christmas to you too, Miss Carmilla,”

Carmilla smiled awkwardly and nodded. “You too,”

Laura tucked the bundle into her bag and laced her fingers with Carmilla’s. “Come on,” She grinned, “I have one more thing I want to show you,”

\------

“So that’s where you get your cookie stash,” Carmilla said as Laura led her up the winding staircase in the Divination tower. 

Laura looked back at her for a moment and smiled. “Yeah, one time during fifth year before OWLs I fell asleep in the Library and missed dinner, so on the way back to the common room I stopped by the kitchen to see if there might be any leftovers from dinner. Willy made me a plate, and asked about the book I was carrying. Turns out He taught himself to read, but they couldn’t always get his hands on books. I gave him the book and he sent me back to the dormitories with a bundle of cookies, and we’ve sort of been trading like that ever since,” Laura shrugged, smiling.

Carmilla gazed at the back of Laura’s head with an adoring smile. This woman was far too sweet, far too good for the likes of her. And somehow she still got to call this little ray of sunshine hers. 

“Through here,” Laura smiled, leading Carmilla through a hidden door past the entrance to the divination classroom. The hidden door led to a small, empty room with ornate but dusty windows that were nearly floor to ceiling. The same stone that made up the walls also made up a window seat of sorts, and the middle windowpane was dusted off, and crystal clear. Carmilla looked around in curiosity as Laura shut the door behind them. “We got here in time,” Laura sighed, relieved.

“When did you find this place?” Carmilla asked, looking around still.

“Two weeks ago while I was doing night patrols,” Laura said, setting her bag down on the window seat. 

Carmilla stepped up beside her, her deep brown eyes flicking up to the early morning sky. The sky was just beginning to lighten at the horizon, but the stars were still visible overhead. Laura pulled out a jar from her bag and started a little fire in it to keep them warm in the drafty room, and then unpacked the bundle Willy had given them. Inside it was a bottle of milk, and an assortment of Christmas cookies ranging from phephernüses to snickerdoodles to gingerbread men.

“Come sit,” Laura said, looking up at Carmilla.

Carmilla turned to her and smiled. It was that soft, almost shy smile she reserved for Laura only as she walked over to her, nestling herself behind Laura after grabbing a gingerbread man from their stash. She wrapped her right arm around Laura’s waist and smiled softly at Laura’s hum of contentment. They sat there and slowly watched the sun rise, watched as it splashed pink and orange and purple over the mountains and the trees and the snow, bathing Hogwarts in rosy light. 

“That’s what I wanted to show you,” Laura whispered, her hand wrapping around Carmilla’s.


	9. Carols

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one's a bit short, but it's disgustingly fluffy like the rest of them, haha. For this piece I chose Ella Fitzgerald's version of [The Christmas Song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agT3JsdKaw8)
> 
> Hope you all enjoy, and thanks for reading! Thank you so much for all of your lovely comments, and I promise I'll get to all of them :)

Laura and Carmilla were sitting in the living room of Laura’s home one evening, a few days before Christmas. It was snowing outside, and the only sounds in the room were the crackle of the fire and the faint hiss of the wind outside. They had finished dinner with Mr. Hollis an hour or so ago, and the two of them had moved to the living room when Mr. Hollis had had to go upstairs to take a phone call. Laura was curled up on the couch with a book, and Carmilla was sitting on the floor by Mr. Hollis’ old record player, idly flipping through records, when she perked up.

“Your dad likes Ella Fitzgerald?” Carmilla asked, looking up at Laura. 

Laura looked up from her book and smiled a little, seeing the record Carmilla was holding. “Yeah,” she said, setting her book on her lap. “mom really liked her so it kind of grew on dad when they got married,”

Carmilla nodded, her eyes soft as they fell back onto the LP. She drummed her fingers on the edge of it for a moment and then stood up, sliding it out of the case. She moved the arm of the record player and placed the record on it, and then set the arm back into place, gently dropping the needle. Laura looked up as the music began playing to find Carmilla standing before her with a little smile and an outstretched hand. Laura smiled and quickly set down her book, standing as she took Carmilla’s hand.

“Is this okay?” Carmilla asked softly, her eyebrows pulled together a little.

Laura nodded, still smiling. “Perfectly okay,” 

Carmilla smiled at that, and rested her hand on the small of Laura’s back, lacing the fingers of her other hand with Laura’s as Laura’s free hand rested just below her shoulder. Soon they were swaying back and forth, Ella Fitzgerald’s crooning voice floating about them. Carmilla had picked Ella’s version of The Christmas Song, and they swayed in a slow circle around the living room. Laura leaned forward and rested her head on Carmilla’s shoulder, and Carmilla began to sing the words very softly, so soft that only Laura could hear, Carmilla’s lips gently brushing against the little human’s hair as they moved. Laura eventually let go of Carmila’s hand, which distracted the vampire momentarily before she felt Laura’s arms wrap around her wist instead. She smiled as she sang, following suit. Carmilla pulled Laura closer, and they danced like that as Carmilla fell silent, content to just hold Laura to her.

Mr. Hollis started down the stairs to rejoin the two after his phone call, but stopped halfway down when he heard music playing, and his face broke into a gentle smile when he saw Laura and Carmilla wrapped up in one another, swaying back and forth in time to the music in front of the fire. He sighed a little, remembering when he and Laura’s mother had done that, so many times after putting Laura to bed when she was little. He watched them for a moment longer, but, not wanting to intrude, soon headed back upstairs to his bedroom.

Carmilla had heard him, but hadn’t reacted, not wanting to ruin the moment. As she heard him retreat upstairs, she sighed softly and gently squeezed Laura, burying her nose in Laura’s honey brown hair. “I love you,” She whispered into her hair, eliciting a shiver from the little human in her arms.

“I love you too.” Laura sighed, curling closer to her and placing a kiss on her neck. She was quiet for a moment before speaking again. “Merry Christmas, Carm,”


	10. Christmas Crackers

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, hope everyone's having a nice week! ALSO HOW IS THERE ONLY THREE DAYS TIL CHRISTMAS??
> 
> This one and the next two are probably going to be on the short side--I have a two other fics I have to finish and get up before Christmas, and some other things to do as well.
> 
> As always, thanks for reading, and for all of your wonderful comments! Hope you all enjoy!

“Hey guys!” Laura called excitedly, hurrying into the common room across from LaF and Perry’s dorm room, holding a box that hid her entire upper body. The common room was thoroughly decorated for Christmas, with a somewhat scrawny tree set up in the corner, and garlands hanging from the walls and bordering the cabinets in the kitchen area. Danny was busy sticking tacks, from which hung stars made of red, gold, and green paper, into the ceiling, and Perry and kirsch were over in the kitchen, decorating cookies. Christmas carols were playing from Laura’s laptop, and the sun was setting outside, though it really couldn’t be seen considering the copious amounts of snow the clouds overhead were dumping on them.

Carmilla looked up from her book and smiled, quirking an eyebrow. “What’s in the box, cutie?” She asked, stretching her legs out over the couch.

“My dad sent it!” She grinned, setting it down on the coffee table. “He felt bad that we couldn't make it home for Christmas because of the storm, so he sent everything here.” She was quiet for a moment. “I can’t believe it actually got here in time,” 

“Amazing,” LaFontaine said, shaking their head as they walked over. “ _mail_ can get here, but we can’t get out. Typical.” They took a swig of their cocoa and leaned forward. “So what’s inside?” they asked, intrigued. 

Laura shrugged and got up to get a pair of scissors from the kitchen area, and came back to cut the box open. Carmilla watched from over the top of her book with an amused look as Laura ripped the bubble wrap out of the box, and started pulling out packages of all different sizes. 

“Hey guys, there’s something for everyone!” Laura said excitedly. She pulled out a package that was wrapped in green paper, and handed it to LaFontaine.

Danny meandered over and peered into the box, and started helping Laura unpack it. Kirsch bounded over from the kitchen in excitement, and pulled a tubular, brightly colored package out of the box. 

“What’s this?” He grinned, looking at Laura.

“I was hoping he’d send these!” Laura said excitedly, “They’re crackers, you pull them open and there’s confetti and candy inside. Dad grew up in England, it’s a tradition over there,”

“Oh, cool,” Kirsch smiled. He held out one end to Laura, and they both pulled. The cracker ripped apart with a _bang!_ and a puff of smoke, and Laura let out a squeal as Kirsch laughed, until they heard a dull thud come from behind Laura. 

Laura turned around to find Carmilla hastily running a hand through her hair as she leaned over to pick up her hardcover, which had slipped out of her hands. Her hair was covering her eyes, and she didn’t look up, but Laura could see that her hands were shaking.

“Carm?” Laura asked, her eyes confused. Her heart sank as realization dawned over her face when she caught sight of the slightly smoking half a cracker that was still in her hand. Everyone had caught on just after Laura did, and looked away to afford the two some relative privacy. Danny took a few packages over to the tree and placed them underneath as Kirsch and LaFontaine went back over to the counter to help Perry finish icing the cookies.

“Yeah?” Carmilla asked, though there was an edge of feigned nonchalance to her voice that wasn’t there before. 

Laura sat down beside her and gently laid a hand on Carmilla’s, slowly lowering her book. “You okay?” She asked quietly, ducking her head a little to try and catch Carmilla’s eyes.

Carmilla looked up at her and nodded a little, giving her a small, tight smile. “I’m fine, cupcake,”

“Did the noise bother you? Because we don’t have to pop the crackers, we can just cut them open or something--”

“No, no, it’s okay,” Carmilla said quickly, her hand landing gently on Laura’s knee. “I want you to enjoy what your dad sent you,”

“But I don’t want you to be scared by it,” Laura countered, her eyes soft. 

“It just startled me, is all,” Carmilla said quietly, shaking her head. The shaking in her hands had mostly subsided by now, though she still felt sort of unpleasantly floaty inside. She sighed inwardly, annoyed with herself.

Laura thought for a minute, chewing on her bottom lip. “What if...we did one together?” She asked tentatively. “Maybe it’d help you get used to it?”

Carmilla thought for a moment, her eyebrows knitted together, but then she nodded, despite looking a little hesitant. Laura smiled and kissed her cheek gently, and then jumped up to get another cracker from the box. Carmilla watched her in quiet awe as she did so, forever marveling at this tiny human. Sometimes she still half expected Laura to up and run away. Carmilla was shaken from her thoughts when Laura returned to her spot beside her, and took the vampire’s hand, offering Carmilla the other end of the cracker. Laura’s eyes suddenly lit up with mischief, and she struggled to suppress a grin at the thought that just came to mind.

“Let’s just pretend that the sound is you popping the Dean’s head off her shoulders,” Laura shrugged, her eyes dancing with laughter.

Carmilla breathed out a laugh and shook her head as she gazed at Laura, and then pulled.


	11. Presents

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys! How amazing is the news about the Xmas bundle?? I'll be staying off of tumblr for like a week or so to avoid spoilers because I can't buy it yet, but once I buy it, I'll fully be back on tumblr like normal :)
> 
> anyways, here's day 11! check the notes at the end of the chapter for some images that go along with this chapter :)
> 
> thanks for reading and I hope you guys enjoy!

Carmilla sat on her bed across from Laura, her arms wrapped around her knees and her chin on her kneecaps as she watched Laura open the presents she’d gotten her. It was late and the lights were low, the room only lit by Carmilla’s candles, Laura’s owl lamp, and the fairly lights she’d put up in preparation for Christmas. They’d gotten back from dinner out with the gang a little while ago, and had spent the evening drinking cocoa and making out while they pretended to play attention to Netflix, until Carmilla insisted that Laura opened her gifts. She claimed the she was eager for Laura to open them, but in reality she was nervous as hell. 

It’s been a hundred and forty-two years since she’d bought someone a gift, and she didn’t know if she could take the nervous churning in her gut any longer.

Carmilla watched Laura’s face carefully as she opened the bigger package--the blanket. She was nervously chewing on her lip until Laura got through the paper, and a blinding smile broke out over the little human’s face.

“Oh my god, Carm, it’s so soft!” Laura said excitedly, tearing off the rest of the paper and immediately hugging the blanket. “And it matches my mug!” She quickly unfolded the blanket and draped it around her shoulders, snuggling into it. “Thanks, Carm,” she smiled, leaning forward to give her a kiss. “I love it,”

Carmilla smiled, the nervous knot in her stomach loosening some. “There’s one more,” she said, reaching back to retrieve the small package that sat on one of the shelves in her headboard. She turned to face Laura again and held it out, tucking her knees under her chin once more. 

Laura took it with a kiss to Carmilla’s cheek, and pulled the bow off of it, and then tore off the wrapping paper that was covered in illustrations of snowflakes and holly. Her face softened and she bit her bottom lip a little when she took the lid off the box, her eyebrows knitting together. She looked up at Carmilla, her eyes looking a little glassy. 

“It’s a cupcake,” Laura said softly, with a watery smile.

Carmilla nodded. “I saw it hanging in the window of one of the shops in town when I went to get us dinner the other day. The blanket was there too,” She said. “um...do you like it...?” 

Laura’s smile broke through again, and she shook her head, grinning like an idiot. “Carm, I _love_ it,” She pulled the little cupcake pendant from the box and held it out to Carmilla. “put it on me?”

Carmilla smiled and nodded, taking the pendant from her. Laura turned around and pulled her hair away from her neck, and Carmilla placed a gentle kiss below her ear as she reached around her, and smiled when she heard Laura’s heartbeat quicken. She pulled back and clasped the necklace, taking Laura’s hair when she was finished and draping it back over her shoulders. Laura turned around, still beaming.

“You still have to open yours,” Laura grinned, fiddling with the little charm that hung just between her collar bones. Laura hopped off the bed and went over to her own headboard and returned with two small gifts wrapped in green and red striped paper. She held them out to Carmilla, who took them with careful hands, and set them in her lap. She opened the bigger one first, and her hands slowed when she saw that it was a book, and they stilled altogether when she saw the title.

“The Stranger,” Carmilla said, her eyes wide.

Laura nodded. “I know you have a copy or two, but I remember you said your favorite edition got lost,”

“Yeah, in the sixties,” Carmilla murmured, running her hand over the worn cover. “I did a lot of moving around...” She seemed to shake herself from her memories a moment later, and looked up at Laura with soft eyes. “Thank you, sweetheart,” She said with a soft smile.

Laura grinned, excited yet nervous for Carmilla opened the second gift. “Open the other one,” She urged, nudging it closer to her.

Carmilla smiled and set the book aside, and picked up the smaller of the two presents. She carefully tore the paper off, and her mouth dropped open in surprise when she lifted the lid on the little brown box. Inside was a circular silver pendant inlaid with rough, silver-black rock, strung on a delicate silver chain.

“It’s a meteorite,” Laura said, leaning forward a little, her eyes a bit nervous. “I wanted to, y’know, get you a star, and that was the closest thing I could find,” She finished in a small voice, looking down as she fiddled with one of the tassels on the blanket. 

Carmilla set the necklace down and reached forward, tilting Laura’s chin up gently. “Laura, it’s _perfect_ ,” She whispered, her eyes watery as she smiled at her. She leaned forward and kissed her lovingly, her hand moving from her chin to cradle the back of Laura’s head.

That night, the tiny cupcake and the meteorite rested beside one another, nestled between Laura and Carmilla’s chests.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> [Laura's necklace (without the wings)](https://www.etsy.com/listing/188048631/flying-cupcake-necklace-bronze-flying?ref=shop_home_active_12)   
>  [Carmilla's necklace](https://www.etsy.com/listing/194748511/meteorite-pendant-shooting-star-campo?ref=hp_mod_rf)


	12. Secret Santa

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey guys, thank you so much for all the support, comments, and kudos on these pieces--it means so much to me. 
> 
> This last piece is pretty short and a little ridiculous, but it's the first thing that came to mind when I saw the prompt. Hope you guys enjoy, and I hope you all have a merry Christmas/happy holiday!

It was the beginning of December, and of course, Betty Crocker had decided to hold a Secret Santa. Carmilla had immediately scoffed at the idea, but Laura had become exceedingly excited and signed up right away, so that meant that Carmilla had wound up signing up too. She was not at all looking forward to the tedious task of having to trudge out to the store and but all kinds of useless little trinkets, but when she got the name of the person she’d be Santa-ing for, this whole even sounded a little more fun.

_Danny Lawrence._

Once Carmilla had received her name, she kissed Laura goodbye and headed out of room 307 to do some...shopping.

\-----

The next morning, Carmilla and Laura were woken up by thunderous banging on their door, accompanied by a rather infuriated yell of “ _Karnstien!_ ”

Laura crawled out of bed and opened the door, all the while rubbing her eyes and attempting to tame her hair, to find Danny standing in their doorway, looking furious while holding a...dead chicken?

“Uh, Danny?” Laura asked, blearily staring at the chicken. “Why are you holding a dead chicken?”

“Oh, you noticed? Well, thank your _lovely_ girlfriend for that,” She looked around Laura to find Carmilla sitting up in bed, smirking. “Y’know Fang Face, you’re not supposed to find out about your Secret Santa until Christmas Eve because it’s _secret._ ”

“Well what can I say, Xena, you bring out my true self,” Carmilla drawled, smirking at the redhead. 

“Wait a second, you got Danny for Perry’s Secret Santa?” Laura asked, still half asleep and moving a little slow. “And you left her a _dead chicken_? Carm that’s _gross_ ,”

Carmilla shrugged. “Well I needed to find something fitting and I don’t know what Clifford here likes outside of obnoxiously colored pants,”

Laura rolled her eyes and steered Danny to the door, all the while profusely apologizing. “I’m so sorry, Danny, I’ll see you later,” She closed the door behind the disgruntled redhead and glared at Carmilla as she walked back to bed. “Seriously Carm, where did you even _find_ a chicken...”


End file.
